balkans

Second Lift of Hungarian QRF Troops Arrives
Photo credit: KFOR - Photos by Major Gernot Schwarzenberger, Austrian Air Force

MOSTAR, Bosnia Herzegovina — Navy Vice Adm. Richard Gallagher, U.S. European Command deputy commander, stands with Amb. Charles English, U.S. Amb. Bosnia Herzegovina to view an open-house display, June 5, 2008. The event was part of a day of friendship to commemorate defense cooperation between Bosnia Herzegovina and the U.S. The day of friendship also included a Ramstein C-130 airdrop and jump; a wing pinning ceremony; an F-16 fly over; short speeches from the two countries’ leaders; and a parade of troops from both countries. Leaders of the countries met for discussions and signed a Memorandum of Agreement for military assistance. (Department of Defense photo by Navy Lt. Bernie Dobner)

Peacekeeping mission continues for Airmen in Kosovo. A view of Camp Bondsteel and the surrounding landscape in Kosovo. (U.S. Army photo/Spc. Tara Moseman)

3/6/2008 BALKAN BORDER - U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Larry Dean and Spc. Tony Weatherman help clear the road for vehicles enroute to one of the guard posts between the Kosovo and Serbian borders, March 4, 2008. Dean and Weatherman are assigned to Battery A, 1st Battalion, 194 Field Artillery Regiment. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Tegan Kucera .

Photos: Sgt. Sarah Danielski
Maj. Gen. Virgil Packett, SFOR commander, greets soldiers as they land at Eagle Base.

In response to the violence and rapidly deteriorating security in Kosovo, on 17th March, NATO took the immediate decision to deploy troops from SFOR into Kosovo. The rapid and successful deployment of highly trained SFOR troops to Kosovo was part of a larger NATO response of approximately 2,500 European troops from UK, Germany, France and Italy. The wider reinforcement operation demonstrates NATO's continued commitment to regional stability in the Balkans and its ability to rapidly move troops in large numbers as required.

The deployment of such a large NATO force into Kosovo lead to an improvement in the security situation, which allowed the return, on 26th March, of over 100 United States soldiers from Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 136th Infantry. These soldiers deployed from the Multinational Brigade North (MNB N) near Tuzla on 18th March, spending 9 days in Kosovo.

The company, approximately 100 soldiers, from the UK’s Royal Gurkha Rifles, previously based in Multi National Brigade (North West), Banja Luka, have also departed Kosovo and have returned to Britain as their tour of duty in Bosnia has now finished. The Gurkhas have been replaced in Kosovo by a company of the Prince of Wales’s Own Regiment; these troops will re-deploy to Banja Luka when they are no longer required in Kosovo.

The 130 Italian Carabinieri, who deployed over 18th-19th March period from the Multinational Specialised Unit in Sarajevo, remain in Kosovo and continue to be a valuable addition to KFOR.NATO’s ability and commitment to rapidly reinforce the Balkans region in large numbers has allowed NATO to confidently reduce the SFOR troops numbers. NATO’s actions have shown that the use of credible and highly mobile forces can limit a conflict.

SFOR wants to commend national, entity, and local authorities for their competent leadership and maintenance of law and order within BiH during this difficult period for the Balkans region.

Lord George Robertson, NATO Secretary General holds the hand of a Serbian boy while he visits a rebuilt home in the village of Novo Selo, Kosovo, Nov. 17, with Kosovo Prime Minister Dr. Bajram Rexhepi. The SECGEN visited the mixed Serbian and Albania village to see the progress of the reconstruction there.

24 November - Four years ago, Lord George Robertson came to Kosovo and faced the daunting task of leading NATO’s mission to stop ethnic cleansing and to return safety and security. More

More than 50 Italian Carabinieri land at Pristina airport to join their KFOR counterparts for seven days of joint missions. Photo by Maj. Doug Harding USA. More

Stabilization Force (SFOR) troops recently demonstrated their ability to quickly reinforce one another during a four-hour drill in Bosnia-Herzegovina as part of a month-long exercise conducted throughout the Balkans. U.S. Soldiers in Bradley fighting vehicles joined troops from five other countries in Dynamic Response 03.

In addition to the U.S. Soldiers, two British Jaguar jets conducted a low flyover to provide photos of a drop zone near Eagle Base for Italian paratroopers, who jumped into the area. Meanwhile, Italian, Slovenian, Romanian and Hungarian troops, flown in by U.S. Task Force Aviation helicopters, spread around the drop zone, providing security for the paratroopers.

Some of the troops were already stationed in Bosnia. Others came in as part of the “Over the Horizon Forces,” multinational professional reserves not stationed in the country but available to reinforce ongoing SFOR operations. MORE

One of the legacies of the Bosnian war is a large number of minefields and other unexploded ordnance still scattered throughout the countryside. In order to be prepared to respond to minefield injuries, military medical crews serving with NATO’s Multinational Brigade (North) recently conducted an exercise in Doboj, Bosnia-Herzegovina.

U.S. Soldiers of the 86th Medical Company (Air Ambulance) and members of the Polish Contingent took part in the training. It was a combined air and ground training exercise in which the Polish contingent responded to simulated minefield injuries with medics who reached the "victims" and stabilized them until a medical evacuation helicopter from the 86th could arrive and extract the victims. MORE

Aircraft of the 4th Aviation Brigade make their final flight from Camp Bondsteel July 23. The crews returned to Germany as part of the overall transfer of authority from the 1st Infantry Division to the 28th Infantry Division in Kosovo. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Neil K. Simmons.

Thanks to the good will and knowledge of Captain Doctor Alessandro Rauccio and his team, more than 300 people, had the benefit of first class medical treatment.

Members of the MSU, Italian soldiers from other military units, and local employees, solved their problems with skin growths and bed scars on their hands or ears, which had irritated them for years. Full Article...

Soldiers of the 86th Air Ambulance Company demonstrate medical evacuation procedures with a UH-60 helicopter for members of the Turkish medical team serving with the Stabilization Force and Observers in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Photo courtesy of NATO.

Soldiers serving in Bosnia with NATO’s Stabilization Force (SFOR) recently hosted one-day “summer camp” for Bosnian refugee children from a local center for Women and Children. Almost 30 children and an equal number of military volunteers played volleyball and soccer and painted faces. The soldiers and children also shared a meal of pizza and soft drinks. The event was sponsored by 35th Infantry Division Soldiers, who chipped in to purchase the food, beverages and souvenir shirts. MORE

Lord Robertson and the 25 ambassadors are welcomed by COMKFOR Lt. Gen. Mini upon arrival at the airport.

Commitment to Kosovo and appreciation for KFOR were the key points from the North Atlantic Committee delegation that visited KFOR June 26.

Lord Robertson headed the delegation that met with COMKFOR Lt Gen. Fabio Mini and both international and local authorities during the visit. ceremony. More

Contributing to a safer Bosnia and Herzegovina

The Dutch Battle Group based in Bugojno has at its disposal an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit consisting of Dutch and Romanian EOD experts.

Since there is still a huge amount of weapons and ammunition in the area, they are one of the busiest units in the Battle Group. June 3 was just a normal day for them, an average day in the life of an EOD-team. Full Article

Flights Resume at Tuzla Airport

by Maj. Adriane Craig 401st Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

6/6/2003 - TUZLA, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AFPN) -- The first civilian flight into Tuzla International Airport here since late 2001 landed June 4. The French corporate flight was 15 minutes late, but it hardly seemed like a long delay, comparatively speaking.

Air traffic in Tuzla has been restricted to military aircraft since the airport shut down after the terrorist attacks Sept. 11, 2001, because the terminal could not comply with the more stringent security restrictions. The arrival of the eight passengers was a flight nearly a year-and-a-half in the making.

Airport officials had been struggling to get the proper operating procedures established, as well as safety and security plans; including emergency procedures for firefighting, rescue services and medical assistance. But it was a cumbersome project, seemingly hindered by the constant rotation of people in and out of the deployed location.

Enter Col. Kent D. Williams, 401st Expeditionary Operations Group commander, who began working on the airport project in mid-January, as soon as he arrived here. “It was clear there was a lot of frustration about the project dragging out,” said Williams.

Without hesitation, he went to work. By March, Williams had put together a timeline of tasks that needed to be completed for the airport to open. And, more importantly, he put together an airport or A-team: Capt. James Hilburn, airfield operations flight commander; 1st Lt. Josh Biggers, a civil engineer; and Master Sgt. Angela Beard, airfield manager.

The A-team and their cadre of folks worked with airport officials to update security and safety plans. Details were sketched out; exercises planned. “We instantly went from talking to doing,” Beard said. “Colonel Williams was proactive and very positive about the project. He really cared.”

The airport director, Mustafa Terzic, was also grateful for the assistance, which he said will create “true economic potential” for local businesses. However, Williams and his A-team did not make the airport re-opening happen alone. It took a lot of military support before the first flight could touch down, from lawyers drafting up legal agreements to military police training working dogs for airport security.

“The project had stalled,” said Lt. Col. Dennis Brown, 16th Expeditionary Air Support Operations Group commander and the senior U.S. Air Force officer on the stabilization force headquarters staff in Sarajevo. “What (the project) really needed was someone to champion the cause, and that’s just what Colonel Williams did.”

“I just put my Air War College to use,” said Williams, a command pilot who graduated from the course in 2000 and is the dean of students there. “This is nation-building in its simplest form,” he said. “I know my students don’t think that they’ll ever be doing things like this, but here we are. (The local nationals) are smart people. They really did it themselves, they just needed someone to help show them what needed to be done.” (Courtesy of U.S. Air Forces in Europe News Service)

Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe

Nine Kosovo journalists gained insight into the overall NATO mission in the Balkans while visiting NATO Headquarters, the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) and the European Union (EU) in Belgium, 26-30 April. The visit was accompanied by KFOR Chief Public Information Office (CPIO). More

Flying Together

From April 28th to May 1st, the Operational Rehearsal Paladin II/2003 was held. As usual in this type of rehearsals, helicopters are commonly employed. But this time Multinational Brigade Southeast (MNB-SE) used other assets than its own.

One US AH-64 'Apache', one US UH-60 'Blackhawk' and one Canadian Bell 412 were deployed to Mostar Ortijes' tarmac. Full Article...

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KFOR: Kosovo
SFOR: Bosnia Herzegovina
EU Website: EU Military Operation in former
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM)

On 31 March Operation Allied Harmony, NATO’s peacekeeping mission in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia(¹) , was formally handed over to the European Union.

NATO remains fully committed to helping the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to become fully integrated in Euro-Atlantic structures. To that end NATO will maintain a Senior Civilian Representative and a Senior Military Representative in NATO HQ Skopje, who will continue to assist the authorities in the development of security sector reform and adaptation to NATO standards.

The decision to terminate Operation Allied Harmony as of 31 March was taken by the North Atlantic Council – NATO’s top decision-making body - on 17 March. The handover has been made possible following the agreements reached by the EU and NATO on access by the EU to the collective assets and capabilities of NATO for EU-led operations.

Access NATO @ http://www.nato.int/
Photos & Descriptions Re-published from:
KFOR & SFOR Web Sites. or DoD